Quarter midget racing is a form of automobile racing. The cars are approximately one-quarter the size of a full-size midget car. The adult-size midget being raced during the start of quarter midget racing used an oval track of one-fifth of a mile in length. The child's quarter midget track is one quarter that length, or mile (264 feet; 80 m).
An adult-size midget in the 1940s and 1980s could reach, while the single-cylinder quarter midget engine could make available a speed of in a rookie class (called novices), or one-quarter the speed of the adult car. Most of the competitive classes run speeds near . Current upper-class quarter midgets can exceed 45 miles per hour, but remain safe due to the limited size of the track.[1] [2] Quarter midget racecars have four-wheel suspension, unlike go-karts.
The drivers are typically restricted to ages 5 to 16. Tracks are typically banked ovals one-twentieth of a mile long, and have surfaces of dirt, concrete, or asphalt.
Quarter midgets have been around in one form or another since before World War II, There are three sanctioning bodies for quarter midgets, Quarter Midgets of America (QMA), the PowRi Quarter Midget Racing League and the United States Auto Club (USAC), with the USAC quarter-midget series now known as the NASCAR Youth Series. There were over 4,000 quarter midget drivers in the United States in 2007.[3] Many of today's most recognizable names in racing got their start in quarter midgets, including A. J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Sarah Fisher, Jimmy Vasser, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Terry Labonte, and Bobby Labonte.
The oldest continually run dirt quarter midget track east of the Mississippi is the Hulman Mini Speedway, operated since 1958 by the Terre Haute Quarter Midget Association (THQMA) located in Terre Haute, Indiana. On the west coast, the Capitol Quarter Midget Association has operated a dirt track for quarter midgets since 1954. Jeff Gordon raced in the Capitol Quarter Midget Association
Quarter midget cars can be reasonably affordable or can cost nearly as much as some full-sized racing cars. Engines can cost from $400 to $8,000. Car chassis can cost from $1,500 (used) up to $6,000 (new). Tires start at $50 each. There are many brands of cars as well as custom cars made by individuals. Some of the common brands are Stanley Racing, N/C chassis (Nervo/Coggin), Talon Chassis, Bullrider Racecars, Tad Fiser Race Cars, Rice Cars, Ashley Chassis, Cobra Race Cars, Storm Chassis, GT American, and Afco race cars. Cars are covered by body panels which are made of fiberglass, aluminum, or occasionally carbon fiber.
Engine costs have driven a number of changes over the years. As the cost of the Deco engine platform continued to rise, Honda engines were adopted. The move from Deco to Honda was first highlighted by an exhibition race at the 1988 Western Grands in Pueblo, Colorado. Attempts to put the Deco/Continental engines back into production failed. Later problems with Honda engine revisions and parts tolerances led to the adoption of Briggs & Stratton engines as a cost-effective engine platform. This adoption has come in the form of both the World Formula and Briggs Animal engines. USAC started using Animal engines in 2010. QMA planned to introduce the Animal engine platform beginning in 2012 and begin phasing out the Honda platform altogether in 2013 but has not moved away from the Honda engine platform. USAC includes the Animal and Honda platforms. USAC has recently discarded all of the Deco platform and introduced the light and heavy modified World Formula for 2017.
Junior classes are for drivers 5-8 years old, while senior classes are for drivers 9-16. Light classes are for drivers up to 100 lbs in normal street clothes. For heavy classes, drivers must be a minimum of 100 lbs.
2017 Western Grands - Jr. Animal: Caleb JohnsonSr. Animal: Cam FiserHvy Animal: Tyler Conley Jr. Honda: Jayson ElfSr. Honda: Matthew RobertsHvy. Honda: Daytona SpicolaJr. Stock: Destry MillerMod: Chase SpicolaLt. 160: Cam FiserHvy 160: Zack MedynskiB: Victoria WolfAA: Tyler ConleyLight World Formula: Cam FiserHeavy World Formula: Tyler ConleyJr. Half: Andrew Link
2017 Eastern Grands - Jr. Honda: Caleb JohnsonSr. Honda: Bradley EricksonHvy. Honda: Alex FrenchJr. Animal: Collin MitchellSr. Animal: Colby SokolHvy. Animal: Kaylee EsgarMod: Chase SpicolaLt. 160: Chase SpicolaHvy 160: Alex FrenchAA: Bryce LuciusLight World Formula: Chase SpicoloaHeavy World Formula: Kaylee EsgarJr. Half: Taylor NibertJr. Novice: Keegan GasselingSr. Novice: Laken Hall
2016 Western Grands - Jr. Animal: Justis SokolSr. Animal: Cam FiserHvy Animal: Tyler ConleyJr. Honda: Caleb JohnsonSr. Honda: Matthew RobertsHvy. Honda: Krystal FaulkinghamJr. Stock: Elvis RankinMod: Bret DegandLt. 160: Matthew RobertsHvy 160: Kaylee EsgarB: Victoria WolfAA: Tyler ConleyLight World Formula: Cam FiserHeavy World Formula: Tyler ConleyJr. Novice: Mackenzie RustSr. Novice: Anelen McMains
2016 Eastern Grands - Sr. Animal: Famous Rhodes IIJr. Honda: Thomas SchwarzSr. Honda: Ryan BoydJr. Animal: Jackson WhiteHvy. Honda: Holt HalderLt. 160: Ryan BoydHvy 160: Holt HalderLight World Formula: Samantha OsbornHeavy World Formula: Holt HalderJr. Half: Joshua KunstbeckJr. Novice: Nicholas LeonardSr. Novice: Faith Reep
2005 Eastern Grands— Sr. Honda: Tyler Edwards Jr. Honda: Blaze Gerenda Hvy. Honda: David Swearinger Jr. Stock: Max McGhee Sr. Stock: Jeremy Doll Lt. Mod: Kyle Reinhardt Hvy. Mod: D.J. Wykes Lt. 160: Jamie Murray Hvy 160: Matthew McGillivray Light B: Austin Kochenash Heavy B: Jessie Harper Light A: Domenic Melair Hvy. A: D.J. Wykes Half A: Andy Nock
Jr. Honda:case jamesSr. Honda: Dylan ZampaHvy. Honda: Canon CochranLt. 160: Emerson AxsomHvy 160: Levi RifleJr. Animal: Gavin BoscheleSr. Animal: Nick LodenUnrestricted Animal: Scotty Milan Light Mod: Chase BurdaLight World Formula: Lincoln SmithHeavy World Formula: Canon Cochran Light AA: Connor GrossModified World Formula: Emerson Axsom